Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Encyclopedia
Between a Rock and a Hard Place is the autobiography
of Aron Ralston
. Published in 2004, the book recounts Ralston's experience being trapped in Blue John Canyon
in the Utah
desert
and how he was forced to amputate his lower right arm
with a low-quality multitool (a dull knife) in order to free himself after his arm became trapped by a boulder
.
The book describes Ralston's childhood, how he took up outdoor activities after moving to Colorado
from Indiana
, how he came to be an obsessive outdoorsman and how he left his engineering
career
at Intel to take up outdoor activities as much as possible.
The book goes back and forth, in alternating chapters, between his past experiences and his entrapment in the canyon
. Included in the hardcover edition are pictures of his terrible days in the canyon
,
various photos from the past excursions he speaks of in the book, a glossary
of mountaineering
jargon
, and maps
of Blue John Canyon and the proximity of the canyon in central eastern Utah
. This is the first book he has written.
Ralston's ordeal is the subject of the 2010 Danny Boyle
film 127 Hours
, starring James Franco
. Since the film's release, the autobiography has also been sold with the title 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of Aron Ralston
Aron Ralston
Aron Lee Ralston is an American mountain climber and inspirational public speaker. He is widely known for having survived a 2003 canyoneering accident in Utah in which he was forced to amputate his own right arm with a dull pocketknife in order to free himself from a dislodged boulder.The incident...
. Published in 2004, the book recounts Ralston's experience being trapped in Blue John Canyon
Blue John Canyon
Blue John Canyon is a slot canyon in eastern Wayne County, Utah, United States, southwest of the Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park and 42 miles south of Green River...
in the Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
and how he was forced to amputate his lower right arm
Arm
In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
with a low-quality multitool (a dull knife) in order to free himself after his arm became trapped by a boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
.
The book describes Ralston's childhood, how he took up outdoor activities after moving to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
from Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, how he came to be an obsessive outdoorsman and how he left his engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
at Intel to take up outdoor activities as much as possible.
The book goes back and forth, in alternating chapters, between his past experiences and his entrapment in the canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
. Included in the hardcover edition are pictures of his terrible days in the canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
,
various photos from the past excursions he speaks of in the book, a glossary
Glossary
A glossary, also known as an idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms...
of mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
jargon
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
, and maps
MAPS
Maps is the plural of map, a visual representation of an area.As an acronym, MAPS may refer to:* Mail Abuse Prevention System, an organisation that provides anti-spam support...
of Blue John Canyon and the proximity of the canyon in central eastern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. This is the first book he has written.
Ralston's ordeal is the subject of the 2010 Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
film 127 Hours
127 Hours
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....
, starring James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
. Since the film's release, the autobiography has also been sold with the title 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place.